India-Bangladesh Teesta deal: River has only one-sixteenth of water needed

Lack of reservoir facility, authorities release most of monsoon water than keep it for dry seasons

The big disappointment during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India last weekend was the failure to finalise the Teesta water sharing agreement between the two countries. Data available with thethirdpole.net shows this was because the river now has only one-sixteenth of the water needed for agriculture by the two countries during the dry season, from February to May. Little wonder that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opposed the agreement tooth and nail.

There is no water

In a recently prepared internal report on the Teesta, seen by thethirdpole.net, the West Bengal government states, “Two barrages on Teesta,